At this point, calling Mel Gibson controversial is a little akin to saying the scripts for Succession occasionally have swearwords in them. Yet he's still managing to find work, including making his full return to the small screen for the first time since the 1980s. He'll be part of the cast for John Wick spin-off TV "event" The Continental.
We say, "event" because right now it's planned as a three-night special series of 90-minute episodes (think Sherlock) across the pond, long commissioned for cable network Starz. Greg Coolidge and Kirk Ward are the main executive producers, writers and showrunners for the limited series, which spins the clock back the '70s. The Continental will explore the origin behind the hotel-for-assassins, which has long become the centerpiece of the John Wick universe. This will be accomplished through the eyes and actions of a young Winston Scott, who is dragged into the Hellscape of a 1975 New York City to face a past he thought he’d left behind. Winston charts a deadly course through the New York’s mysterious underworld in a harrowing attempt to seize the iconic hotel, which serves as the meeting point for the world’s most dangerous criminals. While Ian McShane plays the character in the Wick movies, there's no indication yet on who’ll play the younger incarnation. Gibson is on to be a character named Cormac.
Given the period setting, the show is unlikely to ever feature Keanu Reeves' Wick, and it remains to be seen if the series can kick as much ass. We'll have to wait and see when this'll be out.